Bottoms up: Happy february beeriversary to these brew spots

Feb. 16, 2017 12:03 PM PT

Valentine’s Day is past, but there’s still plenty to love about February. For local beer fans, this month has some notable anniversaries.

Karl Strauss’ 28th: The county’s oldest operating brewery celebrates 28 years with a rich Belgian-style quad (12.9 percent). The 28th is the orchid anniversary, but this beer leans toward another flower - it’s aged in Four Roses bourbon barrels.

Culture’s 4th: 30-plus beers on tap at Saturday’s party at the brewery. General admission, 1 to 6 p.m., is $10; the VIP pass, noon to 6 p.m., $15. Tickets are at culturebrewingco.com; the brewery’s at 111 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach.

Machete Beer House’s 2nd: I was going to describe this pub as “arguably” National City’s craft command post, but that’s silly. There’s no argument - this is the place. You’ll find it at 2325 Highland Ave., National City.

Craft Beer

Peter Rowe

Peter joined The San Diego Union-Tribune in 1984. A native Californian who grew up in Encinitas, Rowe is a graduate of UC Berkeley and Northwestern University. He is past president of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and a former Fulbright scholar. He has won a few journalism awards, but would trade them all for a chance to avenge his 1994 “Jeopardy!” loss. Married to a terrific woman who has saved him from errors in writing and in life, he has three sons. At the U-T, Rowe writes profiles and features and is even paid to review beers, which hardly seems fair.